A normal day at Brennenburg
by lildark7
Summary: Alexander's apprentice Mary at Brennenburg. Daniel having nightmares. And Wilhelm the Gatherer patrolling the dungeon... Just a normal day after all. AU
1. Chapter 1

A normal day at Brennenburg

* * *

><p>1<p>

There was a knock on the door.

"Baron?" a female voice asked. It belonged to a 20 year old woman, who lived at Brennenburg along with some of the servants. She was the baron's apprentice.

"Yes?"

"May I come in?" the woman asked.

The baron looked up from the book he was reading. "You may come in," he answered.

The woman opened the door and entered the study. She met the Baron's bright golden eyes.

The baron nodded.

The woman bowed. "I see you were reading."

"Indeed." The baron turned to his book again. "What do you need?"

"I was wondering when we would continue our work," the woman said.

"We will soon. I will send someone for you when we start. For now, you are free to walk the castle on your own behalf." The baron closed the book. "Make sure to check on Daniel when you pass his room."

The woman bowed again. The baron stood up and walked past her.

"Alexander?"

The baron stopped in the middle of the motion. "Yes?"

"Will you take me with you through the gate when the time comes?"

Alexander looked at his apprentice for a long time. Something in the woman's eyes had changed. She looked older all of a sudden. She had seen, done and endured things other people her age hadn't. Even when Alexander walked back up to her and closed his hand around her neck to choke her, the expression in her eyes didn't change.

"You may hurt me if you want. It won't change my mind."

The words surprised Alexander. The woman's voice didn't shake as she spoke, even though his hands were closed tightly around her neck now. There was no fear in her. Only indifference. She didn't care if she was hurt or not.

Alexander released her again. "I will take you," he said.

The woman smiled. It was a creepy smile. Almost triumphant.

"There's one condition," Alexander spoke. "You will have to serve me. And continue my study when we're back… home."

"I will."

Alexander knew his apprentice meant it. "Good." He walked out of the room and left the door open.

The apprentice followed.

* * *

><p>Daniel woke and had a feeling that he had been watched the whole time. But there was no one in the room and the door was shut tight. He could hear Alexander and the voice of a young woman in front of the door though. They were whispering.<p>

He stood up and opened the door to his room. "Alexander? Is there something wrong?"

They both turned and looked at him. The young woman was tall and her brown hair flowing over her shoulders. He knew she was Alexander's apprentice. He didn't know what she was studying at Brennenburg, but it wasn't of his business. Alexander had told him that much. The woman was special. She could keep the shadow at bay with them if he asked her to.

Daniel didn't know how a woman that young could be of any help to them. But he trusted Alexander's judgment.

"You were having nightmares again, Daniel?" The baron asked.

Daniel glanced at the woman. Her eyes were a weird color, not really blue, not really green, something in between. They were cold, like Alexander's so often. But unlike Alexander's they weren't showing any kindness.

"Yes," Daniel answered. "It was about the shadow again."

"Mary."

It was the first time Daniel heard Alexander address his apprentice with her name.

The woman turned and left.

"Now Daniel, come. And tell me about your dream. We're alone."

Daniel didn't know that the baron's apprentice would hear every word of it in the end anyway.

* * *

><p>Mary was hurrying downstairs to the dungeon and sat down on a chair at the end of the hall with 3 cells. The prisoners were moaning in agony.<p>

Most of the candles down here were lit. One of Alexander's servants was patrolling the halls. He was a strange guy with a totally deformed face. His lower jaw and lip were distorted and showed his teeth. He was wearing a cloak to conceal his hideous figure and face. He couldn't speak. The only noises he could make were grunts and screams. But Alexander had taught her how to communicate with them. As disturbing as it was, you had to look at them and you would hear their voice in your head. They would answer you. You could hear the voice of a man. The voice he had owned before he had drunken the poisoned wine.

Alexander had told her about the soldiers in the wine cellar. Had told her how he made them into these _monsters_.

The servant passed her chair again.

"Wilhelm."

He turned. The cloak was hiding his face. She couldn't see it.

"I cannot hear you," Mary said.

The servant called Wilhelm made a noise that sounded like a sob. His shoulders were quivering. He removed the hood of his cloak from his head.

Mary found herself staring into the deformed man's eyes. She didn't like to call the Gatherers' monsters. They were still human to her. Only terribly distorted and deformed.  
>Wilhelm's black eyes stared back at her. She heard him say, <em>I do not want you to have to look at me. I am a monster now.<em>

Mary smiled at him. "You aren't to me. You're still serving the baron like you should." She rose from the chair. "Have a seat Wilhelm," she offered. "I will patrol for you for a while. It must be tiring to walk in circles all day."

Wilhelm smiled back at her, as far as you could see the smile on his morbid features. _Well yeah you know I was getting dizzy already! Thank you! _ Mary had gotten quite good at reading the Gatherers' faces for the time she had been here. This one was an insider. It was a joke they pulled all the time.

They both looked at each other for another moment and then started to laugh. Mary heard Wilhelm's deep happy laughter in her head along with the horrifying sounds that came out of his deformed mouth.

All the time Mary came down to visit him or take over the patrol around the dungeon she made him forget that he couldn't speak, that he had a hideous face and was a monster to everyone else. She made him feel normal again.

When he was with the other servants… The soldiers they all had once been, it was different, because they were all like him. They were men he had been working together with back when they all were still 'human.' They all looked hideous like him. They all knew how they only could communicate with each other telepathically… Mary was, besides the baron who had made them this, the only normal person he knew. Or maybe… that made her strange too.

Daniel never seemed to be bothered by the servants, though Mary knew he definitely would be if he had ever seen their faces. They were always shrouding themselves in their cloaks to keep themselves concealed from glances.

Mary was on her 3rd round through the dungeon when Alexander personally went downstairs to get her. He was talking to Wilhelm as she came back.

"We heard your laughter upstairs. What Daniel heard however, was your laughter Mary. And," He pointed at Wilhelm. "his grunting." The baron scolded Mary. "He thought you were torturing prisoners. He wanted to go down here to make sure you're alright…"

"And you told him to stay upstairs and said you were going to check on me so I wouldn't get hurt?"

Alexander snorted. "Indeed. He's stubborn."

Mary shook her head. She turned to Wilhelm. "I will see you around. I have to go upstairs again before Daniel goes insane." She laughed again.

_See you around,_ Wilhelm answered. He went on patrolling the dungeon.

* * *

><p>Daniel's green worried eyes awaited Mary upstairs. They were searching for traces of blood or a wound.<p>

"I was perfectly fine down there, thank you," Mary grumbled.

"Are you sure?" Daniel took a step forward. "I was worried."

"Didn't Alexander tell you I would be fine?" Mary asked in a cold voice.

"He did, but…"

"You are better not to question his words," her tone was threatening.

Even though she was so much younger than Daniel something about Alexander's apprentice made her appear so much older than she was. Daniel kept silent. He didn't know why he didn't speak.

"We should get back to work," Alexander said. His eyes lit up excited for more torture.

* * *

><p>They finished as the sun began to disappear on the horizon. Daniel slipped down on the wall of the dungeon, the screams of the prisoner still ringing in his ears as they had begun to saw him into half. The man had been hung upside down and the blood ran down his body in rivers leaving a puddle on the cold stone floor.<p>

Alexander called for his apprentice to clean the blood up.

"You're letting her clean our mess up?" Daniel asked.

Alexander smirked. "Of course. There's no need for us to do it. We got our hands dirty enough for today." He paused. Then continued, "Besides there's someone down here she wanted to see again…"

Mary was squatting on the stone floor with a bucket of water and a wet cloth, scrubbing the blood away. She glanced at Alexander, her expression blank for but a slight distant smile.

"Oh?" Daniel was surprised. He thought of Mary as emotionless and cold and cruel. He didn't know she could be any different and was in fact, a very loving person, that she felt affection for at least some people at Brennenburg. "So who would that be?"

Daniel noticed Alexander giving her a strange look. It was as if his eyes warned her not to spill the truth.

Mary shook her head and Alexander took a step towards her. It was as if they were talking just by looking into the other's eyes.

"It's one of the servants!" Mary's voice was confident and clear.

Daniel grinned, thinking he knew what Mary meant. "Is that so? Well that's… interesting."

The baron stared at Daniel in disbelieve. He broke into laughter.

"What?" Daniel was confused. "I don't understand. What's so funny?"

Alexander grew serious again. His voice was just a whisper. "It is not what you think, my dear friend." He explained, "Mary is taking care of one of the former soldiers who had been serving me for years. He was hurt in an accident. Mary makes sure he has someone to talk to when he patrols the dungeon."

"Oh," Daniel seemed embarrassed. "That was not what I was-,"

"We know full well what you were thinking of, Daniel," Mary spoke, dead calm. "It's not very nice to make suggestions like that…" Her voice was dangerous and low now.

"Forgive me," Daniel apologized. "It won't happen again."

"Very well." Mary turned and left the prison cell, taking the bucket of water and the cloth with her.

* * *

><p>Daniel stared after her when she left the cell. He turned to Alexander. "Did I upset her? That wasn't my intention…"<p>

"You must forgive her as well. She has been through a lot…"

"Oh, I see." Daniel gazed at the prisoner that was still hanging from the ceiling. "Is that the reason why she's so cold all the time?"

Alexander sighed, "It is one of the reasons. But you must understand. You are a stranger to her. She's been living at Brennenburg all her life. She knows every corner of the castle. She appreciates everyone who's working here and playing their part… and you. You see, you're like an intruder to her. She sees that I am offering you my help to protect you from the shadow… and to her… as harsh as that might sound, you should be helping me."

"You said she has been living at Brennenburg all her life… Was she born here?"

Alexander thought for a long moment and then said, "Why don't we continue this conversation in the parlor?"

Daniel nodded and they left the dungeon.

* * *

><p>On their way upstairs Daniel saw Mary hurrying back downstairs to the dungeon. She seemed relaxed, almost happy to be walking around alone without him there.<p>

He noticed that her over-knee, long-sleeved, red dress had a large oval brown patch over each of her elbows. He wondered if they were for decoration, or if the dress had actually been torn and fixed. The color of the patches matched her high leather boots and in addition she wore black tights.

She had felt Daniel's gaze on her back, which brought him a derogative look.

_'She really hates me, doesn't she?'_ Daniel thought.

Mary sneered at him.

_'Did she hear my thoughts?'_ Daniel glanced at Alexander who said, "Mary is very good when it comes to reading faces…"

"Ah." He looked back to where Mary stood… but she was gone.

"Come!" Alexander's voice called. And he hurried to catch up with him.

* * *

><p>The parlor was an enormous room with a furnace and a long dining table in the back. Alexander and Daniel were sitting in front of the furnace that was lit. The fire was giving off a comforting warmth as they watched the sun go down further. On the small round table sat two cups of tea. The armchairs were cushioned with a beautiful red padding. They were comfy to sit on.<p>

"So you said your apprentice has been living at Brennenburg all her life?" Daniel asked again.

"Yes." The baron looked at Daniel, his eyes warmer than usual. "Mary has been born in Brennenburg, I didn't know about her until she was 4 years old." He paused, remembering what had happened back then. "Two of my servants had become very fond of each other, Daniel. I hadn't imagined that they would go this far. They had been hiding her for years, sneaking off with food for her. They had hid her in the Cellar Archives. One of the servants found out and reported to me. When I got down there, her parents had been alerted. They were begging me to let her live. I had made myself very clear that if any incidents should ever happen the punishment would be their child taken away from them. However they begged me to punish them instead and let their child live at Brennenburg…" Alexander looked out of the window. He looked old and tired for once. "I do not know what drove me to hear their pleading, but… I did. I punished them and let Mary live here. She became my apprentice."

Daniel's eyes widened. "What did you do to them?"

Alexander sighed, "I banned them from Brennenburg and the lands. If they should ever show themselves near Brennenburg or Altstadt they would be shot."

"Does Mary remember her parents?"

"She doesn't." Alexander looked at Daniel again. "I allowed them to write her letters. I told her who they were but she cannot really relate to them. Though she always writes back and she is very polite, thanking her parents, especially her mother, for giving birth to her and thanking them that they took the punishment so she could live here."

"Where do her parents reside now?" Daniel asked.

"The last letter was from London, Daniel."

"Really?" he was surprised. "So that's why she speaks English?"

"Not exactly…" The baron smiled. "She was raised by her parents speaking German. I taught her to speak English."

"So she does speak both?"

"Indeed. It can be very useful if you need help with any of the books in the study. I would dare to say she sometimes does know more than I do. I think she read all of the books at least once, if not twice."

* * *

><p>The conversation went on long after the sun had disappeared behind the horizon completely.<p>

Mary had been down in the dungeon for a while before she went back upstairs with Wilhelm to accompany him to his room. Another servant had taken on his shift in the dungeons for the night like always.

"Good night, Wilhelm."

_'Good night, Mary.'_ Wilhelm bowed.

Mary smiled and left. She had walked around Brennenburg in darkness. Her footsteps made no noise. She had learned to walk as quiet as a shadow. She wasn't heard or seen by anyone.

She loved walking around Brennenburg at night. The castle was quiet and peaceful and even though the torches were casting eerie shadows on the walls, it wasn't disturbing. She was used to being in the dark. Even as a kid it had never bothered her. But she hated the cold and the torches were giving off heat that kept the long hallways warm.

Mary felt the tinderbox in the pocket of her dress. She had taken one from her room with her, just in case she needed it. She was on her way to the study.

Alexander had a variety of books. Mary loved all the old story books he owned as well as the autobiographies. She would take one to the parlor with her and read.

Hoping there wasn't anyone in the study at this time of the night she carefully opened the door and peeked inside. It was empty.

Relieved, Mary picked up her favorite book and made her way to the parlor. She noticed that all the candles in the hall were still lit. She was about to open the door when she heard Daniel's voice ask Alexander, "So this is why she speaks both?"

She heard Alexander answer. Her hand was still on the door handle.

_'Why is he telling him about my past? Did he_ want _to know?'_ Mary asked herself.

She considered leaving and coming back later when they were done talking. She had already withdrawn her hand from the door handle just to set it down on the hard wooden door three times.

Daniel gasped for air inside and she chuckled. '_Such a scaredy cat,' _she thought.

"Wait here, Daniel," it was Alexander's voice. A second later the door opened and he stepped outside.

Mary bowed.

Alexander's gaze fell on the book she was holding in her arms. "Did you take that from the study?" he asked, almost annoyed.

"Yes baron." She paused, then went on. "Have you ever found a book from the study missing? I always bring them back."

Alexander sighed. He saw Mary's eyes screaming the question she didn't speak out.

_'Why did you tell him?_ Him _of all people?'_

"He asked, Mary." Alexander's voice was cool.

"And why would he do that?"

Instead of getting an answer Alexander answered her with a question. "Is it wrong to show interest in the history of another person? You know everything about him, while he knows almost nothing about you. It is only fair…" His eyes became intense. "Are you afraid he could hurt you if he knows more about you?"

Mary thought for a second. Her gaze never left Alexander's eyes. "I am not," she said. "I just don't like speaking of my past…" Alexander saw her eyes grow cold as she stated, "Same as _you_."

Alexander's blow made her tumble back. Her cheek was bright red. She continued to stare into his eyes.

"How dare you?" his voice was dangerously low.

Mary held her pounding cheek but smiled at him. She had made her point.

"Forgive me," Mary's voice was quiet now. "But it's the truth…" She looked away.

Alexander said nothing. He opened the door of the parlor again and gestured her inside.

She sat down on an armchair between both of them and for a tense moment none of them spoke. The room was quiet and only the crackling of the fire was heard.

Daniel cleared his throat. "What are you reading Mary?" he asked.

"Grimm's Fairy Tales," she simply replied and opened the book.

Alexander seemed amused. "Now, Daniel. You were asking me about her, just before she popped up, what a coincidence. Feel free to ask her anything you want to know, herself." His tone became warning and it was directed at Mary. "I'm sure she'll gladly answer anything you ask."

Daniel seemed ashamed. He was uncomfortable with the whole situation. "Uhm, so Alexander told me that you were born here and that your parents were banned from the lands..."

"Correct."

Daniel tried to find at least something to talk with her about that didn't concern her personal past and privacy. "Have you read any books about archeology? Has Alexander told you why it is I am here?"

"Of course the baron told me why you're here." Mary rolled her eyes as if she couldn't believe he was really asking that question. "And yes, I have read quite a few books on archeology." She knew what Daniel was going to ask. She prevented him from it. "There wasn't anything on that Orb of yours."

"Oh..." Daniel seemed disappointed.

"I don't know what you expect," Mary stated. "Isn't that the point of digging stuff up? To find something that hasn't already been written about? To study and learn about it?"

"Yes, but..."

Mary sighed. She was visibly bored at the whole conversation. "Daniel. I don't want to be rude or anything. But I'd love to finish my book before I go to sleep. I'm sure Alexander would love to continue that conversation with you."

Daniel shook his head. "Very well, then I will no longer keep you from your book." He turned to Alexander.

Before Daniel could speak, his vision blurred and a shadow flickered across it. The edges had darkened and he felt like he was being pulled into the ground. His fingers dug into the cushion of the armchair. The cry of the shadow chasing him echoed in his mind. Drew nearer.

"It's drawing closer," Daniel breathed, terrorized. He didn't notice that sweat was running down his face. "It's coming for me. I can hear it cry out inside my head."

"Ease my friend," Alexander said. "Your mind is playing games with you. There's nothing to worry about. Today's warding ritual slowed it down immensely."

"But-!"

"No, Daniel. Trust Alexander's judgment." Mary stood up from her seat and put the book down upside down. "Shall I get you some of the tonic to calm your nerves?"

"Yes, yes. That would be great, thank you." Daniel seemed relieved that Mary hadn't snapped at him and instead showed some pity on his broken nerves.


	2. Chapter 2

She left the room without looking back.

Hurrying down the stairs to the laboratory Mary's thought began to wander again. She was certain that Daniel hadn't been hallucinating and that he didn't need the tonic.

She sighed and grabbed one of the small green bottles from the shelves. It was a narcotic that calmed and relieved pain. She slipped it into the pocket of her dress.

Alexander had told her that he thought that Daniel was already doomed. And so were they. He had led Daniel in and allowed the Shadow to follow and them to become tainted as well.

The Orb Daniel had brought was in the Inner Sanctum at the moment. Covered with a cloth at all times. Alexander was trying to use the Orb's energy and the vitae they had gathered to open the Portal back to his world. Mary was working on something else.

She sighed and turned to get back in the parlor.

The black silhouette of Alexander in the doorway nearly made her shriek. She took in a sharp breath and froze in place. She was glad she hadn't held the small green bottle in her hands. She knew she would have dropped it right there.

"You didn't answer. I still cannot reach you," Alexander stated. He seemed disappointed, almost irritated. "Our tainted lamb is easier to reach. Easier to bend and shape."

Mary straightened up. "He's desperate; he's drawn to you like a magnet trying to escape his fate. Of course he's easier to reach."

"I raised you, and yet it seems that I do not know you at all, otherwise I'd be able to."

Mary shivered. She felt the same way as if someone brushed their fingers over her skin, but in an unpleasant way.

Alexander had reached out in his mind to her but couldn't get in far enough to speak. He could only make her feel and that limited. No intense pain, fright, comfort, sadness or happiness. Nothing that would overwhelm her and make her thoughts go astray to get him the second he needed to enter her mind.

"This is as far as I can go. What if I need to call you? I can't."

"Then make me feel the urge to see you. I will come and we can talk," Mary offered.

Alexander shook his head. "Not with him around. There are things that cannot be spoken aloud anymore Mary."

"I knew you'd say that," she grumbled. "Very well. But I don't know how to make myself more accessible to you."

"We'll figure something out. In the meantime, you keep working like you always have."

"I will." Mary paused for a second. "What of him, did he faint in the parlor, or did you tell him you weren't sure I'd find the tonic?"

Alexander's voice dropped as he answered and if Mary could have seen his face she knew the look on it would have been stern. "None of that. He said he needed a moment to himself. So I went to get you."

"I'll bring him the tonic and then we can return to whatever it is you wanted to do."

Mary paced towards the door Alexander was standing in and was let past.

"Come to the study when you're done and bring the locket." Alexander ordered and went off.

* * *

><p>There were three knocks on the door and Daniel started in his chair.<p>

"Daniel? I have your tonic, are you all right?" Mary's voice came from the other side of the door.

Daniel opened, his face dripping with sweat. "I'm all right, thank you." He wasn't in the mood to chat with the woman who scowled at his presence. He reached out a hand, demanding the tonic, to have her out of his face again as fast as possible. He could feel another panic attack coming.

Mary carefully placed it into his opened hand. "You know, you don't really need it. You could manage without," she whispered.

"Excuse me? I don't think you've ever been in my shoes!"

Mary rolled her eyes. "You need to find something to distract yourself with."

"Don't you think I've already tried?"

"You just haven't found the right thing yet," Mary stated.

Daniel stared at her uncomprehending.

Mary sighed, shook her head and turned on her heels. "You'll see what I mean soon enough."

She heard the door close with a thud behind her as Daniel went back into the parlor. She chuckled. "Let's see what Alexander wants."

* * *

><p>For the second time there was a knock on the study door and Alexander turned from his book to see Mary enter, a medium sized golden locket with glass on top, similar to a pocket watch, in hand. Through the glass you could see a lot of small cogwheels and metal wires running through the inside of the locket.<p>

"So how is it going?" Alexander wanted to know.

Mary popped the locket open to reveal small black granules that were pushed in-between the two metal plates of the locket when it closed.

"It works. The particles in the middle of the locket move when the sound hits them. Even with quiet sounds the cogwheels start to rotate and the wires light up. You just have to put the locket close enough to the sound source."

"Very good." Alexander was pleased with the results.

"How did the original version of the locket work?"

"Completely different. The energy that is now created through sound waves came from the owner's thoughts. Much like when I try to access your mind." He sighed. He looked older and worn out. "Things are much more complicated in this world. No free flowing energies to work with. No advanced technology at all."

"Alexander, I don't think we can create a loud enough sound to open the gate with the way the locket is now..."

Alexander laughed a bitter laugh. "It's not that simple, Mary. If all that was needed was a loud noise I'd be off already."

Mary's face had a quizzical look on it. She felt Alexander's fingers on her skin again, without him touching her.

"The locket was operated by the line of thoughts and feelings. It would take you to the world you desired. The one that would fit your current needs."

"So how do I get the locket to work?"

Alexander's hand moved and lightly touched her cheek. Mary drew back at the sudden touch.

"You will have to write a song that makes the lockets inside vibrate in the right way to open up a gateway to my world."

"And it doesn't matter which instrument it's played on?"

"No. But you will have to write a piece that gets the feelings of my world and my desire to go home across."

"So then you will finally tell me about where you came from?" Mary asked in disbelieve.

"Yes, I will have to."

The baron rose from his chair and went to one of the book shelves, pulling out a small flat case hidden behind some heavy lecture. He handed it to Mary.

"This is the closest to what you'll find in my world." He watched Mary put down the case on the desk and flip it open. In the red cushion sat a small wooden, 6 hole fife.

"You think you'll be able to play it?" Alexander wanted to know.

Mary weighed the flute in her hands and smiled. "Yes."

"Good." He sat back down again and gestured Mary to do the same. "Before I will tell you about my world, I need to know that you're with me one hundred percent, Mary."

"I am."

Alexander's eyes locked with hers. "You speak the words, but do you mean them? I cannot know for sure until I felt them fill your being."

Mary's eyes were already shifting when Alexander clasped her chin with one hand to hold her in place. She tensed, expecting to feel Alexander trace his mental fingers over her again. She waited in vain. Nothing happened.

He asked permission to do it this time. "Will you let me in? It will make the following easier for both of us. I can show you my world, not just talk about it."

"I don't know how. It never worked before," Mary spoke under her breath.

Alexander's eyebrow rose. "You're afraid?"

Mary shivered.

Alexander sighed. "It won't hurt. You won't change afterwards, there's nothing that can go wrong. It's not like cutting someone open and sewing him back together."

Mary grimaced. "Great example, thank you, Alexander."

He rolled his eyes. "Just relax, ok?"

"Fine..." Mary leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. "Better?"

"A little, yes."

They sat in silence and Mary all the while waited for the mental fingers to trace over her skin again.

Alexander's voice came from where it was before. Neither of them had moved. "Don't wait for it. It's impossible to do when you're expecting it. Think of something else."

"Okay." Mary tried to direct her thoughts in another direction.

Alexander shook his head. "We'll try another approach. This is useless. Tell me what you think my world is like. Maybe I'll be able to connect to you that way."

Mary opened her eyes again and lines formed between her them as she tried to imagine. "Houses as tall as the highest trees, people dressed in robes, cobbled streets and the city in the middle of the desert."

Alexander laughed quietly. "If you only knew how close you got for part of my world."

"Really?"

"Yes," Alexander reached out with is mind for Mary at just that moment.

Mary gasped. She felt like all the air was being pushed out of her lungs, just like it would if someone threw you into ice cold water. She felt Alexander's presence stronger than before. It felt like being pulled close and hugged dearly. He had grabbed on and wasn't going to let go again. She calmed and welcomed the feeling.

"You see? It didn't hurt, just like I said."

Alexander hadn't spoken aloud. The voice was inside Mary's head and for the first time, she heard it the way Alexander himself heard it when he spoke.

"Now Mary, tell me again, are you with me 100 percent? Speak aloud."

"I am."

With the spoken words came the echo in her mind, resonating with every fiber of her. It was all Alexander needed.

"Good. Now let me show you something."

She was riding on a deep orange lizard the size of a horse. The leather saddle was built in a way that could only be sat in with your legs crossed. She was spurring the horse by snapping the two ends of the rein like a whip in the air.

In the distance appeared a large stone archway, standing on it's own without any support or building attached to it to enter.

She hoped it wasn't already too late. That they had blocked all the gates and that she was stuck inside the city's perimeter.

'Please let it work. I have to get there before the guards do.'

The second she was at the gate she got off her mount. Her feet touched the sand below. She pulled the golden locket out of the pocket of her robe and directed her thoughts at it. With increasing speed the cogwheels inside began to spin and the wires lit up bright blue and sent flashes of lightning out of the locket towards the gate.

It opened. The air between the stone archway changed color. It mirrored the destination. A courtyard with greenery as far as the eye could see.

She picked up the reigns of the lizard again and went through the gate with it.

On the other side, inside the courtyard she hurries over to a switch on the wall and put it to 'lock'. No one would be able to enter the courtyard through the gate now.

Her eyes flew up to the palace balcony. "Sythia! Sythia?!" She couldn't keep the panic out of her voice. The city guard could be here any minute.

"What happened?" A woman with shoulder long, straight white hair appeared on the balcony, wearing a cream colored tunic and wide trousers of the same color. Her long nose and sharp features didn't fit her soft voice and her worried faint yellow eyes. She was young, a few years into adulthood only.

"Your twin sister. They caught her smuggling supplies out of the king's hold. They're sending her off world! Her wife tried to stop them and she had to watch them-," her voice broke.

"And now they're after us too. High treason. We'll all be banned!" Sythia left the balcony and appeared in the courtyard a minute later, two large bags with food and clothes packed and her own saddle in hand. "Maybe Kaerya got away. We can only hope." Sythia strapped the bags to the lizard's saddle and put it on it behind the saddle that was already in place.

She sighed. "I hope your sister did. Now let us be away. We don't want to be here when the guard comes. We're heading for Doblohw, the underground city."

With a click and a flash of lighting from the locket they were off.

"The city sunken in the sand," Sythia whispered.

They stood in front of an oval opening in the sand that was covered by a stone slab. Only a few inch of stone rose around it.

She hummed a dark melody and with a grinding sound the slab of stone drew back from the opening into a gap between the stones around it.

They entered the pitch dark hole. The pathway fell ever so slightly, leading them down into the earth and to the ruins of a once pulsing city.

The stone slab slid back in place over their heads. For a moment they were blind. No light could enter from outside.

They didn't have any torches, but they didn't need to.

The walls of the hall leading them down to the city were covered in writing that slowly began to emit a faint green light that was just bright enough to see.

Doblohw wasn't marked on any map. The ruins now served the ones in need. Refugees, like them, homeless people and the like.

The city had its own magic to it. It could only be found by the ones in need. It was a safe haven for them.

Venturing deeper the quiet sound of music brushed their ears and the path made a bend to the left.

The ceiling became higher the further down they came and after the turn they found themselves standing in a hall with rows and rows of columns holding the ceiling above their heads. The glowing writing was everywhere.

"The people who built this wrote down the story of how it was built and their own personal feelings and thoughts about it. They etched it into the very stones of this hall for everyone to read who entered," she told Sythia. She pointed at a passage of writing high above them. "My hands ache from the endless hours of etching this writing into the stone and then painting it with the green glowing color. We are three people working on this column. I took the night shift today. The other workers are sleeping below me at the moment. Bligk and Tofqk, those are their names. They put salve on my bandage that covers my bleeding hand, I am holding the chisel with. We became good friends working on this column for over a year now. We're soon done. Only 50 more blocks until it reaches the ceiling."


End file.
